MTEL Communication Literacy Skills : Reading Practice Test

Which words are exceptions to rules of suffix modification?

1. Judgment, acknowledgment, and argument

2. Enable, disable, and label

3. Happy, funny, and sunny

4. Establish, distinguish, and educate

The correct answer is: Judgment, acknowledgment, and argument

The correct answer focuses on words that defy the common rules of suffix modification in English. Judgment, acknowledgment, and argument are notable examples because they contain the suffix "-ment" which typically transforms verbs into nouns. However, in these instances, the rules are altered due to the presence of a silent or omitted letter. For example, "judgment" drops the 'e' from "judge" before adding the suffix, which is not universally applicable to all words ending in 'e'. Likewise, in "acknowledgment," the 'e' from "acknowledge" is omitted before the suffix is added, and "argument" demonstrates a similar pattern from "argue." In contrast, the other choices contain words where the rules of suffix modification typically apply without such exceptions. Thus, the reasoning behind recognizing these particular words as exceptions lies in their unique linguistic formations, deviating from the expected morphological transformations.